Next board meeting, ask a good question

Leadership

  I write frequently about the power of listening and asking good questions, especially among  ministry leaders. Let’s take a look at one of the more challenging contexts for practicing this skill: the board meeting. Often board meetings consist of each person...

The power of letting the scripture transform people

Leadership

  On Mondays when my house church gathers, we read through scripture together, carefully observing it over time. We only let the passage answer the question. No external interpretations and no cross references. If the answer is not there in the passage, we’ll...

How do we actually make disciples?

Leadership

We all know we’re supposed to make disciples. And yet if we’re honest, how well is that really happening? Too often the focus seems on having people become active church participants: attending activities, volunteering, giving, etc. One of the challenges...

Developing loyalty in your staff

Church Development, Leadership

  I was coaching a senior organizational leader recently who was working through the challenges of developing quality staff. I asked this question: “To what degree could a more pastoral approach impact your staff development?” Sometimes leaders believe they need...

Introducing change

Leadership

Today’s entry is from guest blogger Dr. Steven Goodwin. A woman came home from a swap meet with a crocheted wall hanging that read “Prayer changes things.” Proud of her new acquisition, she asked her husband for his opinion. “I don’t like it,” he said without...